Who wouldn’t like the luxury of growing watermelons, cantaloupes, and other luscious melons in a backyard garden? Nothing tastes more like summer than a ripe melon straight from the vine. Melons grow on very sprawling vines that can take up most of a garden bed though. The perfect solution is growing melons vertically.
While these fruits are heavy, you can grow melons on a trellis as long as you create a strong support system for the vine and each fruit.
Vertical Melon Growing
Few gardeners have all the growing space they would like.
That’s why the vertical
vegetable garden has become popular. Using trellises allow you to produce
more crops than you otherwise would and often healthier crops too. This
includes vertical melon growing.
Vining plants that sprawl on the ground are also vulnerable
to insect pests, fruit rot, and other diseases. Growing melons vertically, that
is up a trellis, allows for better airflow that keeps foliage dry. In addition,
fruit is held above the wet ground and far from crawling bugs.
Trellising Melon Vines
Vertical melon growing shares all of these benefits. When
you grow musk
melons or even watermelon
vertically, you use significantly less garden space. A single melon plant grown
horizontally can occupy up to 24 square feet of garden space. Trellising melon
vines has some unique issues as well.
One of the issues with growing melons on a trellis involves
the weight of the fruit. Many fruits and veggies grown vertically are
individually small such as beans,
cherry
tomatoes, or grapes.
Melons can be large and heavy. If you are willing to build a strong trellis
system and attach the fruit well, trellising melon vines can work very nicely.
Tips for Growing Melons on a Trellis
You’ll need to be sure to install a trellis that will hold
the weight of the melon vines and ripe fruit. Encourage the vines to climb by
training them up a support system such as concrete reinforcing wire. Getting
the vines up the trellis is only half of the job of growing melons vertically.
Maturing fruit will hang on the melon vine from stems, but the stems aren’t strong enough to support the weight. You’ll need to provide every melon extra support to prevent them from falling to the ground and rotting. Create slings made of old nylon stockings or netting and cradle the young melons in the slings from the time they are a few inches (7.5 cm.) in diameter until harvest.
Who wouldn’t like the luxury of growing watermelons, cantaloupes, and other luscious melons in a backyard garden? Nothing tastes more like summer than a ripe melon straight from the vine. Melons grow on very sprawling vines that can take up most of a garden bed though. The perfect solution is growing melons vertically.
While these fruits are heavy, you can grow melons on a trellis as long as you create a strong support system for the vine and each fruit.
Vertical Melon Growing
Few gardeners have all the growing space they would like.
That’s why the vertical
vegetable garden has become popular. Using trellises allow you to produce
more crops than you otherwise would and often healthier crops too. This
includes vertical melon growing.
Vining plants that sprawl on the ground are also vulnerable
to insect pests, fruit rot, and other diseases. Growing melons vertically, that
is up a trellis, allows for better airflow that keeps foliage dry. In addition,
fruit is held above the wet ground and far from crawling bugs.
Trellising Melon Vines
Vertical melon growing shares all of these benefits. When
you grow musk
melons or even watermelon
vertically, you use significantly less garden space. A single melon plant grown
horizontally can occupy up to 24 square feet of garden space. Trellising melon
vines has some unique issues as well.
One of the issues with growing melons on a trellis involves
the weight of the fruit. Many fruits and veggies grown vertically are
individually small such as beans,
cherry
tomatoes, or grapes.
Melons can be large and heavy. If you are willing to build a strong trellis
system and attach the fruit well, trellising melon vines can work very nicely.
Tips for Growing Melons on a Trellis
You’ll need to be sure to install a trellis that will hold
the weight of the melon vines and ripe fruit. Encourage the vines to climb by
training them up a support system such as concrete reinforcing wire. Getting
the vines up the trellis is only half of the job of growing melons vertically.
Maturing fruit will hang on the melon vine from stems, but the stems aren’t strong enough to support the weight. You’ll need to provide every melon extra support to prevent them from falling to the ground and rotting. Create slings made of old nylon stockings or netting and cradle the young melons in the slings from the time they are a few inches (7.5 cm.) in diameter until harvest.